An ‘alcohol ban’ for Exmouth could be extended to cover the town’s main beaches if backed by councillors.

The existing Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which covers a number of central streets in Exmouth, bans consumption of alcohol, urination in public, aggressive requests for money, or intimidatory behaviour, and allows officers to issue fixed penalty notices to those who don’t comply.

But the current order doesn’t cover Exmouth beach, which has sporadically over the last year seen incidents of anti-social behaviour.

As a result, East Devon District Council’s cabinet, when they meet on Wednesday (May 12) are recommended to carry out public consultation on proposals to vary the existing order to also cover the beach.

At the end of the five-week consultation, a further report will come back to the cabinet around whether there is support for and a need for the urgent implementation for the order to be amended to be in place for the summer period 2021.

David Whelan, the council’s community safety coordinator, in his report to the meeting, said: “It is considered that during this summer and the demand of the Staycation we are likely to see an increased level of Alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour linked to the beach area.”

He added: “The PSPO is already in existence in a number of central streets in Exmouth and allows authorised officers to deal with individuals by way of fixed penalty notices. The proposal would be for a variation of the existing order in order to simplify understanding and enforcement of the PSPO.”

The proposed changes to the order would also see it cover the beach area from Sandy Bay via Orcombe Point, to past the coastguard look out station, past the Beach Gardens The Esplanade, The Maer, Queens Drive, and also round past the Sailing Club, Camperdown Yard and the Imperial recreation Ground, all the way to the half-moon field.

The Cabinet are recommended to carry out public consultation on proposals to vary the Exmouth anti-social behaviour Public Spaces Protection Order 2020 -2023, which could include addition of beach areas in Exmouth, as well as other locations identified as anticipated displacement, before any final decision would be taken later this year.